The Great Trick
by MickeytheMouse
Summary: When Shippou takes Aesop's fable to heart, trouble can ensue. He always was the pompous little kitsune.Based loosely off of Aesop's The Thief and the Innkeeper.


A/N: This has been written in response to Forthright's LJ Challenge regarding Aesop's Fables. Hurray!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of "InuYasha" by Rumiko Takahashi nor the wonderful world she has created. Loosely based off of Aesop's fable, The Thief and the Innkeeper.

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The sun was high in the afternoon and a small group of children had gathered around a kitsune older than themselves, weaving a grand tale. The youngsters were amazed and urged him to tale the story.

"This is a tale— the tale of the Great Thief!" The storyteller paused dramatically and the young ones excitedly cheered and clapped for him. The story continued. "Now, the Great Thief was a wise fox known well for his trickery and bravery— he was also known to be quite handsome" The storyteller quickly added with a smirk and mischievous laugh.

"One day the Great Thief grew tired and weary from his journey and in doing so came upon a small group of travelers possessing a great prize. Now the kitsune was stealthy and did not allow the other travelers to see him and so they could not see how the kitsune's eyes gleamed at the sight that lay tauntingly before him.

The Great Thief watched them pass for some time and determined from their quarrelling that they were simple-minded and could easily be tricked. Of the group were a half-demon and a young Priestess. The Great Thief soon found the half-demon to clearly be an idiot and that his 'woman,' while still a Priestess was very gullible. Instantly the Great Thief knew that he could easily win her over and obtain the jewel strung around the female's neck."

The children gathered around the storyteller and whispered rambunctiously among themselves, but with a single, small paw they silenced.

"So on the day of the Great Thief's trick he quickly dirtied himself and hobbled over quite helplessly to the young maiden. In feigning great injury he was able to gain the sympathy of the young girl and she instantly she took him in. Now for two days the thief had relaxed in luxury with the half-demon and the woman aiding to his every whim, but on the third day it was decided that today would be the day he stole the trinket.

Lifting himself up with ease, for never had their been an injury on him, the thief emerged from the tent and walked calmly up to the woman and the capsule around her neck. Since he had done nothing shameful for three days he had gained their trust foolishly and the Great Thief grinned triumphantly as in a single swoop he had snatched away what had been strung around the woman's neck. For a moment the kitsune thought himself a victor, but soon realized that the jewel was not in the capsule he held, but in the half-demon's own hand.

'Hand over the jewel, or your life!' the thief cried, but to no avail for he was surrounded and quite small compared to the others. Still, the Great Thief was resourceful and suddenly burst into a jittering fit. After sensing that the woman had become frightened the kitsune calmed himself and reacted as if he had no clue what events had just transpired. Instantly, the half-breed and woman were confused and so the Great Thief spun a great lie and told the woman that he was cursed to transform into a mindless beast every quarter moon. He told them that when his transformation did finally occur after his third fit that he would undoubtedly devour them.

Now the young woman was rightfully and foolishly frightened and begged of her companion to have pity on the traveler and relinquish the jewel to him. The half-breed was less a fool than the woman, but yet the thief could still see the apprehension in his eyes and when he faltered in handing over the jewel the kitsune again fell into a raging fit. This time both seemed truthfully frightened, but as he calmed once more the woman ran desperately to the thief and asked of him, 'Why does this curse have hold of you?

Slyly, the kitsune replied, 'I do not know for sure— whether it be from my inescapable deeds or from a fate unjustly cast upon me, but I do know this: when I lose myself again, I will devour you.'

Now the ignorant half-breed had unconsciously loosened his grip upon the jewel and the Great Thief seeing his opportunity cast himself again into even a more violent fit and sent back his head almost in a howl. The half-breed grabbed the woman's arm rashly and incidentally let go is grip of the jewel enough that the kitsune could easily take it. As the two ran off cowardly, the Great thief enjoyed the reward of his steal. He did see the half-breed and woman once more, however, but he had frightened them so fearfully into submission that they begged of him to be his slaves and—"

"Shippou?" A curious and slightly irate woman cried from a small distance behind the storyteller. Instantly, he froze up and his eyes scrambled around in search of escape. He ran back and forth and the young ones who had been listening grew quite unaware as to what was happening and so in the confusion raced after him as Shippou ran in circles.

Suddenly the race and ranting stopped as a firm grip snatched the young fox by the tail and pulled him upward to eye level. "Ah, there you are Shippou. You haven't been causing any trouble have you?"

Shippou having been frightened shook his head and scrambled to the shoulder of the young woman as she appeared beside the half-demon. "Now InuYasha, don't be so critical."

"Keh. Yeah, whatever Kagome."

Instantly the young foxes that had fallen back from the scene awed in what they believed to understand. Running up Kagome they noted her arrows and one audacious kit jumped to the shoulder of InuYasha and in standing upon his head tugged on the half-demon's ears humorously.

"Oh great and wise Shippou!" the small kitsunes all cried together, "We did not realize that we were in the presence of the 'Great Thief' himself."

At the comment both Kagome and InuYasha looked at each other in confusion and then back at the young kits. One of the tallest stepped forward and spoke in turn for the others. "We are deeply sorry for not recognizing your greatness until now, for it seems obvious now in how you have tamed the ignorant half-breed and his woman. Forgive us!"

Shippou cringed at the sound of the young one's words and looked fearfully upon InuYasha's dazed expression as well as Kagome's.

"Tamed?" Kagome asked turning her head to look at Shippou

"My woman?" contemplated InuYasha.

Angrily snatching the little guy from his perch, InuYasha demanded to know what exactly he had been telling them. After giving a long and sympathetic apology, Shippou hung his head and with a smile, InuYasha gingerly let Shippou back to the ground.

"You're not still angry— are you InuYasha?"

The half-breed feigned a smile and shook his head before gaining enough proximity to the young fox to knock him harshly across the head. "Idiot," InuYasha muttered before walking off, same as the young kitsunes that had heard the tale. Shippou however, crept up again to Kagome's side and sought needed sympathy from the girl.

"Kagome, InuYasha lied— he told me that he was not angry and yet he still hit me!" Crossing his arms childishly, Shippou almost did not hear the woman's next words.

"Well Shippou, much like yours— _every tale is not to be believed_."

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_As always, I would love and be honored to have any reviews/comments/suggestions that my fantabulous readers may have. I treasure them all! Thank you for reading and especially thanks to Forthright, for her creation of this loveable LJ Challenge._

_Truly yours,_

_Mickey-the-Mouse _


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